


Sick

by ThePhoenixofHumanity



Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: Caretaking, Fluff, I seriously don't know how to tag this, Multi, Polyamory, Sickfic, Skipping Class, Sneezing, Vomiting, also ear infections are a bitch, how tf do you even tag a sick fic, i also put crish in because why tf not, this is literally the first time ive done this, whatever here have it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-12 10:45:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15993575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePhoenixofHumanity/pseuds/ThePhoenixofHumanity
Summary: Dealing with sick children is pretty easy. Sick teens? A piece of cake. I can handle myself just fine when I’m sick.But my sick boyfriends? Not a chance.





	1. Children? Easy to Care For.

**Author's Note:**

> I AM FILLING THIS POLYDADS TAG IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO! THERE ARE ONLY FOUR OTHER FICS (NOT INCLUDING MY OTHER ONE) THAT FEATURE DADSONA/EVERYONE. IMMA HAVE TO CHANGE THAT EVEN IF I DO IT ALONE!

"Waaaaah!"

"I'm coming Crish!" Poor baby hasn't been feeling well lately. I'm not really sure when it started, but I noticed one day that he wasn't acting like himself; normally he's running faster than I can keep up with and eating things he isn't supposed to, but he barely moved earlier and he hasn't put anything in his mouth that would make me concerned. That alone clued me off that something was wrong. I know Joseph and Mary both agree that he's pretty resilient because he eats weird things all the time, but I wasn't so sure about that with how he was behaving. Now, I'm pretty positive that Crish is getting sick. Which is heartbreaking because the same tactics that work on an adult or a child won't work on a toddler and he's in a lot of pain. And it's hard to tell what might be wrong with him because he might not even know what's wrong; I have to go by what I see. 

I head to the living room playpen to check on the babies. Just as I suspected, Crish is crying his eyes out in the playpen, almost waking River whose asleep near him. I'm lucky that River is a bit of a heavy sleeper, so she won't wake immediately. But poor Crish...

His coloring book is thrown to the side, his face red, his hand is on his ear and he's kicking and screaming like no tomorrow. Crish doesn't throw tantrums very often and he's a very quiet kid, so whatever got him crying like this is bad. "What's wrong Crish?" I lift him up and bounce him in my arms, trying to sooth him and figure out what made him like this. He doesn't need to be changed because I already took care of that, and he was already fed, so it can't be hunger. River is asleep, but even if she was awake, the two don't fight so that couldn't have been it. And he was just coloring, so I can't imagine how something might've happened.

"E-Eaw," Crish hiccups. He clings to my shirt, hiccuping and coughing, making noises that just don't sound healthy. "Eaw Papa."

"Let Papa check it. I need you to move your hand." I can't see with him tugging at his ear like that. "I'll be quick, okay?"

Crish looks up at me with wet eyes, but moves his hand away so I can see his ear. There's nothing in it, nothing that I can see at least. And if something is stuck deep in there, I don't have a way of getting it out. Crish is a bit squeamish when it comes to his ears so I doubt he'd let me try and dig in it anyways.

"Papa can't see anything Crish. Do you feel funny?"

"Hot," is the mumbled response.

He  _does_ feel awfully warm. It could be something as simple as a fever, or it could be an ear infection. I'm really hoping for the first one but you never know. "Crish, Papa might need to take you to the doctor so we can check your ear."

Crish  _hates_ the doctor with a passion I don't understand, but he holds my shirt and nods. He must really be in pain if he's agreeing to go the doctor without a fight. Last time, when he was going for a simple check up, we couldn't get him out of the car seat; he screamed and struggled so much that people thought we were hurting him. Even the word 'doctor' sends him into a fit. But if he's going along with it, he doesn't feel well at all.

I quickly find some warm clothes for Crish and get him dressed, feeling bad when Crish protests the socks. He hates wearing socks, and shoes for that matter, but it's a little too cold out right now and I'm not risking him getting any sicker. I have to dress River as well, but she's still sleeping so it isn't a struggle, even with the socks. I make sure to pack a bag with diapers, bottles, and cereal in case we're there for more than an hour, get the babies in the car, and we head out.

* * *

"It seems like Crish has an inner ear infection. You're lucky you caught it when you did; any longer and it might've turned into an outer ear infection, which would've been a lot worse for him. This type is easier to treat." He smiles at Crish, who flinches away and clings to my shirt again. Crish really hates the doctor. I'm glad he sat still long enough to get checked out. Though he did cry a lot when he had to get a light shined in his ear and wouldn't let me go for anything.

Something must be going around because according to the doctor, this is the sixth case of an ear infection that he's seen in the past few hours, along with kids sick with the flu. There were a few concerned parents came in after me and the waiting area is packed; I'm glad I came when I did because I only had to wait twenty minutes before I could see a doctor, which is pretty quick considering how these offices usually get. Crish had been fussy the whole time and River ended up waking, but she was drowsy so she didn't do much.

"Do you know if he's gotten any moisture in his ear? Or put something in there that he shouldn't have?"

"Nothing that I can think of." Baths are done very carefully to avoid things like that and we keep an eye on him during his meals jut in case he does want to play rather than eat. I can't remember any instance when it would've happened. And he's more of an eater than a shove things in his ear type of kid."How bad is it?"

"It'll be easy to treat at this stage, though Crish will be in discomfort for a few days."

"And River?" I had her get a check-up just in case. It's been cold and we were out a little late the other night for a game. River sneezed a couple times and I want to make sure she's okay.

"River's got a bit of a fever; nothing too severe but it could turn into something much worse. I'll write out a prescription for medicine for the two of them."

Crish seems happier now that it seems like we're going to leave. He'd been good even in the face of his enemy, but I think it was a little too much for him. He'll be better once we get home and as far away from the doctor as possible.

"Come back in about a week and we'll see how he's doing, alright?" He tries to smile at Crish again, but he's too done with this whole visit that he manages a glare.

"Okay. Thank you."

* * *

Okay, prescription is getting filled, River is sleeping again and Crish is coloring in his book. I have to remember to call Joseph and Craig to let them know how the babies are and to keep an eye on them later. I don't want River to develop anything down the line if we don't treat it. 

I'm just about to head to the pharmacy to wait when my phone starts ringing. And it's...the school? Did Ernest pull another prank? Honestly, he's been pulling way too much from classic literature and almost gave a teacher a heart attack by doing a Telltale Heart prank. Hopefully he didn't try to Cask of Amontillado someone like Lucien did. 

"Hello?"

_"Hello. This is Maple Bay Elementary school. May I speak to...Mr. Sharp?"_

"Speaking. How can I help you?" It's elementary school, so that meant that either Hazel threw another rock at a teacher's car again or she and Briar switched tests again.

_"You're listed as an emergency contact for both Daisy Harding and Hazel Cahn and we've been unable to contact their fathers. I'm afraid Hazel passed out during recess and Daisy threw up in the middle of class. Would you be able to come pick them up from school?"_

"Yes. I'm on my way right now." There really must be a bug going around; they were fine yesterday night but something might've changed. Man, Briar was probably freaking out right now. For Hazel to just pass out like that must've freaked her out.

“I’m here for Daisy Harding and Hazel Cahn.” 

The receptionist points to a room down the hall. “They’re in the nurse’s office.”

I was heartbroken when I saw the girls. Hazel is laying on a bed, breathing too heavily to be normal. She looks way too pale and she’s sweating really badly. Briar sits in a chair beside her, looking terrified, and I can’t blame her: if I had seen my twin suddenly pass out, I’d freak out too. And Daisy didn't look much better. She's hunched over in her seat, holding onto some sort of bin that she's likely thrown up into. I can just barely make out splotchy red marks on her cheeks.

"Briar?"

She looks up when I call her name and runs over to me, throwing her arms around me. I can feel her shaking in my arms and it feels like she's crying. "What happened today?"

”We were on the field," Briar sobs. "J-Just playing kickball and-and Hazel went to kick, then she just fell! And we went over to her but she wouldn't wake up! I'm scared Papa. She hasn't done this before, not even when we play baseball."

"Hey, calm down Briar." I pull back from the hug and bend to her level. Unshed tears line her eyes and she's shaking really badly. "Hazel just might be sick. We're gonna take her home and take care of her, alright?"

"B-But..."

"I promise you that she'll get better. You don't have to worry." I give her another hug to try and help her calm down. "Do you feel alright? You're not dizzy or anything are you?"

She shakes her head. "I-I'm alright."

"Good. But you let me know the moment you don't feel good, okay?"

She nods and I turn to Daisy. "How about you kiddo? What's wrong?"

”I feel funny,” Daisy mumbles into the bin. “And my stomach hurts.” She looks up at me with bleary eyes. Just as I thought, she has a flush on her cheeks and her skin feels clammy.

”Come on. I’m gonna take you guys home. You too Briar.” I don't think she'd be able to focus knowing that Hazel has passed out in front of her. It'd be better for her to come home with me rather than getting in trouble for not paying attention.

Briar pushes the stroller out to the car while I put Hazel on my back and hold Daisy’s hand. Hazel stirs the slightest bit when I pick her up, and Daisy stumbles beside me as we walk. Briar is a mess of nerves, constantly checking on her sister while we drive to the pharmacy first, where I pick up the prescription for Crish and River and also pick up extra medicine for the girls, then rush home to take care of them.

When we’re home, Hazel is placed on the recliner near the window and Daisy is laid out on the couch. Crish is given his medicine, River hers, and I put a cool cloth over Hazel’s forehead while she rests. I leave Briar watching everyone real quick while I make some peppermint tea for Daisy and find some crackers. 

“Here Daisy.” I help her sit up slightly and hand her the tea. “I know you might not want to eat, but this will help settle your stomach.” I leave the pack of crackers beside her in case she ends up wanting to eat. "You don't have to drink all of it, but try at least half. And a couple of crackers might help you too. And let me know if you feel like you're going to throw up again, okay?"

"Mm-hmm." She takes small sips of the tea, trying not to throw up again.

I hear someone mumbling and see Hazel slowly trying to sit up. Briar quickly wipes her eyes as Hazel rubs the cloth over her face.

"Wha happen'd?" Hazel murmurs. "Where I am?"

"I brought you home. You passed out at school today." I kneel beside her and feel her forehead. Still warm. "You might've come down with something. Were you feeling okay this morning?"

"Umm...I had a headache this morning but it went away when I got to school. Then lunch tasted weird, but it kinda always tastes that way so I didn't think anything of it. Then at recess, everything started to look weird and I saw shapes then it all went black." She tries to sit up, but I get her to lie back down and feel her forehead again. Still too warm.

"You feel a little warm and you fainted. Just lay here for a little while. I'm gonna get you some juice and make you some soup. Keep that cloth on your forehead for a little while and if it gets too warm, let me know and I'll rinse it again."

"Okay. Thank you." She stretches back out again and closes her eyes. I don't know if she's going back to sleep, but I'd prefer it if she was awake so I could monitor her better.

"Briar, can you watch everyone for me for a little while? Just let me know if Daisy needs more tea and make sure Hazel doesn't fall asleep again. I have a couple calls to make then I'll be back to help you."

"Yes Papa."

I'm about to head to the kitchen when I feel something tugging at my pant leg. I look down and see River trying to pull herself up. She reaches both hands up for me to pick her up. I can't deny carrying her around, so I put her on my hip and head to the kitchen. It's not that she can't walk yet, she just gets really frustrated sometimes and likes being carried. When she really wants to move around though, she'll start walking, but if she's feeling a little lazy, she'll let us carry her.

I put some broth on to boil and start cutting a few vegetables for the soup, debating on what type of meat to put on it. River starts to squeal and make a grab for my phone, seeing it light up and play Tom Waitts. She rubs her fingers all over the screen, trying to answer the phone. I put it on speaker so that she can her Craig's voice. "Hey Craig."

_"Everything okay bro? I got a call from the school. Something happened with Hazel?"_

"Yeah, I went and picked her up and brought her here. She passed out during recess and wasn't feeling to good. Briar freaked out a little so I checked her out too. I also picked up Daisy since she's been a little under the weather. I'm gonna take care of them for a little while."

_"Is she alright?"_

"She might have the flu, or just be sick and didn't say anything. She has a fever though, and you know what they say: Starve a cold, feed a fever. I'm letting her lay down for a little while and make her something to eat. Also, River has a little bit of a fever, but I have medicine for her to take. She's fine right no," River starts giggling as if she knows we're talking about her. "But I don't want it to turn into something worse."

_"What about you? Are you okay?"_

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. I'm more concerned with making sure all the kids get better."

_"Okay. I'm getting off a little early today, so I'll be home soon. Let me know if you need anything."_

"I will. Love you!" I bring the phone a little closer to River. "Say bye to your daddy River!"

"Baaaah!"

Craig laughs. _"Love you too. Bye guys."_

Craig and I hang up and I dial Brian. I know he gets busy during the day so he can't get to the phone all the time, but I want him to hear it from me rather than from a message. I don't want him rushing home and panicking when I've got it handled. He doesn't pick up the first time, but he calls me back not even a minute later.

_"How's it going Pup?"_

"Hey Brian. We have a little bit of a problem."

_"Is it Daisy?"_

"Yeah. She threw up in school today and doesn't look good, so I brought her home. I'm gonna keep an eye on her, make sure she gets better."

_"She threw up? But she seemed fine this morning."_

"It could've snuck up on her, or it could've been something she ate not agreeing with her. Either way, I made her tea and gave her crackers to settle her stomach, in case she keeps throwing up. I'll keep an eye on her at dinner tonight." She might not 100% by tonight, but she'll be a little better. "Speaking of dinner, are you gonna be home in time tonight?" He tends to work late sometimes and misses dinner on occasion. He tries not to work as much as he used to, but he ends up having to put more time in than most.

_"Not tonight. Gotta put in some extra hours and it doesn't look like I'll leave at a good time."_

That sucks. It's been a while since we've all had dinner together. Everyone gets busy and we can't always have meals as a family. "Okay. I'll wrap up dinner for you then."

_"You're the best Pup. See you tonight. Love you!"_

"I love you too."

Alright, after I check on the girls, I'm gonna call Joseph about Crish and check on him when I did. He was sleep last I checked, but he might be up and in pain again. I make up a bowl of soup and get a bottle or orange juice for Hazel. I also put the stove on low so that the tea can heat up again so Daisy can have more if she wants.

"Here Hazel. Try to eat some of this. Don't worry if you can't finish it. And try to drink all of the juice. It'll help you feel better."

"Thank you Papa." Briar helps her sit up and helps Hazel adjust so that she doesn't spill the soup on herself. I'm sure that Briar is going to help Hazel with everything while she's not feeling good. It even looks like she soaked the washcloth for me and got extra blankets. 

"Are you hungry Briar? You've been sitting there since you got home."

"No. I'm alright." 

She probably isn't going to get up until she's sure Hazel is getting better. "Okay, but let me know if you do. There's still soup if you want some or I can make you something." I notice Daisy holding her stomach again. "Do you want more tea Daisy?"

"Yes please." I take her cup and notice that she's eaten a couple of crackers. Not a full appetite, but at least she's eating something and it hasn't come up again. I'll make sure she has something light  for dinner in case it gets a little worse. Crish isn't tugging at his ear anymore so it might not hurt as much, but I still wanna be sure.

"You okay Crish?" 

He nods, angrily scribbling over a picture of a doctor. Man he really hates doctors. That coloring book has professions in it and for every doctor, Crish either tore up the picture or just scribbled over it. "I'm about to call daddy. You wanna talk to him?"

"Mmm." He stands up and walks over to me, taking my hand and letting me take him to the kitchen. I sit him in his high chair and hand him a cookie, since he's been good all day and even faced off against a doctor. While he munches on that and I fix up the tea for Daisy, I call Joseph. Hopefully he isn't busy right now.

"Here Crish." I hand him the phone while it's ringing while I clean up a little.

_"Hello?"_

"Hi Daddy!" Crish always gets excited when he gets to talk on the phone. Especially when he's talking to Joseph. It's adorable; he always grabs my phone before I can pick it up when it rings and talks into before I have a chance. It's adorable.

_"Hi Crish. How's it going buddy?"_

"Doctow," Crish replies, reaching up to tug his ear again.

_"You went to the doctor?"_

"Mmm. Eaw."

_"Your ear? What happened?"_

Instead of trying to explain, Crish holds out the phone to me. I guess he doesn't feel like talking about it anymore; I mean, he did mention his mortal enemy. "Thank you Crish." I hand him another cookie for being good and take the phone. "Hey Joseph."

_"Hello Danny. What's this about Crish's ear?"_

"It was hurting earlier, so I took him to the doctor. He has a bit of an ear infection and it's been bothering him. I got medicine for him but he hasn't been in the best of moods."  Crish sadly munches on his cookie, hand on his ear. I gently pull his hand down so that he doesn't irritate it further. I know it hurts but I don't want it to get worse.

_"Oh dear. Is he okay?"_

"He's managing right now, but he hasn't been himself. We have to keep an eye on him."

_"At least it's getting treated. How are you doing by the way? Is everything alright?"_

"I'm fine. I just think there's a bit of a bug going around and it's hitting the kids. They'll be fine once it passes."

_"Do try to take care of yourself too. We don't need you getting sick as well. We'd all fall apart without you."_

I can't help but laugh because it's kind of true. Ever since we all got together, I've been a bit of a househusband and taking care of everyone, making sure they eat right and sleep properly since they hadn't before I started nagging them (Robert's word, not mine) about it. I was out of town once visiting Amanda and they called me almost every ten minutes because of something or other, and they were so relieved when I got back. "I'll be fine. I barely get sick as it is." I check the time on the clock. Carmensita, the other twins, and Chris should be getting home soon and I need to get snacks ready. "Sorry to cut this short, but I've gotta get things ready for when the kids get home. I'll see you tonight."

_"See you at home. Love you."_

"I love you too."

"Bye Daddy!" Crish yells, spraying cooking crumbs everywhere.

_"Bye Crish."_

I hand Crish my phone and start getting snacks together for everyone. Briar wanders in for something to eat, so I hand her a bowl of soup and ask her to take Daisy's tea out to her. Dinner is going to be simple tonight because I don't want to make something too heavy that might be too rough on the stomach. I'll probably end up making a big pot of soup for everyone.

* * *

The lock clicks in the door and I hear Carmensita and Chris walk in, with Christian and Christie right behind them. "Hey Papa!" Carmensita calls.

"In the kitchen!" I call back. I have their snacks all ready and have a lot of dishes to do. "How was school?"

Carmensita gives me a hug and puts a paper on the counter. "Pretty cool. A guest speaker came in and talked about archaeology, and we're going to the museum next week. Can I go?"

"I don't see why not. I'll talk with you dad, but he'll probably say yes."

The twins are next, also giving me hugs and handing me a note. "What is this?" By the way their looking at it, this isn't the 'the twins haven't been paying attention in school' or 'the twins aren't doing well on tests' note. This is a 'they've pranked someone again' note. "Christian? Christie?"

They look at each other, and then the note. "Well..." Christie begins.

"We had a sub today," Christian says.

I see where this is going. "You terrified the poor teacher, didn't you?"

"She asked if we had twin powers and we said yes."

"And then what happened?"

Christian answered first this time. "We said some stuff and she got scared."

I quickly read the note. Apparently, they were reciting lines from The Shining and 'behaving' oddly, which scared the teacher so badly that she thought something must be going on at home and horror movies are their coping methods. Basically, she wants us to try and correct their behavior. I know she's a teacher, but she's a substitute and the twins just happen to like horror movies; there isn't anything wrong with them.

"C'mon. What did we say about freaking out teachers?" Or freaking out the general public for that matter.

They look down at their feet. "We're sorry."

"I know you guys are, but no more of that at school, okay? Even if teachers ask about twin powers." Sometimes I let them do it to Joseph because it makes him laugh, sometimes they do it to Lucien because he also gives them lines to use, and maybe I once let them do it at the supermarket when a cashier was super rude to me. But never at school. That's where we draw the line.

"Okay."

I hand them their snacks, bowls of fruit because the twins don't focus when they have sugar in them and also because they get super rowdy. "Here. Eat your snacks and get started on your homework."

The twins run off to the table and all that's left is Chris. He slowly trudges in and gives me a hug, which is very odd because he's not very affectionate and usually just goes right to the table after school. "How about you Chris? Anything happen in school today?"

He shrugs. "No."

I take a closer look at him. He looks...different. Not sad and definitely not upset, but different. "Okay well...I have a snack ready for you. Go ahead and start your homework."

"...can you help me with it?"

Red flag. That's a big red flag. Chris is stubborn. He'll never ask for help with his homework unless he's absolutely at his limit. We always tells him he can ask the moment he's having an issue but he never will, not until he's frustrated. Now, he's asking for help before he even starts? Something must've happened. "Sure. Let me finish the dishes first."

"Okay." Chris heads to the table and pulls out his books. I sneak a quick peek into the living room, in case someone needs me before I start homework duty. Daisy is sleeping, Hazel and Briar are talking quietly, River is chewing on her teething ring and Crish is still coloring. They should be fine for a little while.

I start helping Crish with his math homework, and though I know he's paying attention, I can't help but feel like something is wrong. My suspicions only worsen when I see that he hasn't touched his snack at all. "You alright Chris? You haven't eaten."

"I'm not hungry."

I put my hand on his forehead. He's too warm for my liking too. Is he getting sick as well? "Do you feel okay? You're warm."

Chris looks like he's about to say something, then shakes his head. "I just don't want to eat anything."

"I think you're getting sick buddy. Maybe you should go lay down for a little while. We can finish your homework later."

"But-"

"Come on Chris." He doesn't protest when I take his hand and lead him to Amanda's old room, which we converted to a very neutral room for if the kids want to spend the night. Chris takes off his shirt and socks and gets under the covers, almost asleep when his head hits the pillow. I tuck him in and turn the fan off, knowing it tends to get cold in here. "Let me know if you get hungry or thirsty, okay?"

He nods, seemingly asleep already. "Thanks Papa," is the last thing I hear before his breathing evens out.

D-did he just call me Papa? Chris has been having the hardest time adjusting to everything, but he just called me Papa. He usually calls me Danny whenever he's around; this is the first time he called me Papa and actually hugged me on his own. Maybe it's just because he's sick, or maybe he's warming up to me. Either way, I can't stop smiling.

* * *

It takes another few days before the kids are back to normal. Chris recovers first, only needing a couple of days of rest and food before he was back to normal. Since I was never around him when he was sick, I never knew how affectionate he could be. He was always around me the whole time he was sick, usually laying on my lap during the day, hugging me at random points in the day and cuddling with me, or simply falling asleep on me. It changed a bit when he got better but he calls me Papa now, which still makes me happy.

Daisy's stomach bug went away after four days, which meant we also had the weekend to watch her and make sure it didn't come back. She only drank peppermint tea, even during the few days she was better. I think she developed a taste for it after how much she drank while she was sick. She didn't like the fact that she missed so much school, even if she had a note excusing her, and made sure to do every single assignment she missed the day she finally went back to school. 

Hazel took almost a week and a half to get better. We couldn't figure out why she was so sick nor what caused it, and we almost considered taking her to the doctor. She ended up taking a turn for the better around the time we wanted to go ahead and schedule an appointment, so I decided to keep an eye on her and keep doing what I was doing since it was working. She wasn't too bummed about missing school and it did end up getting excused anyways, but all the homework she had to do put a damper on her mood. I made sure to tell Briar to keep an eye on her, just in case she passes out again.

Crish's ear infection took the longest to heal, and Mary told me he wasn't in the best of moods during her weekend with him. But she did tell me that it wasn't too bad, just a little annoying for him. There were some days where he couldn't hear out of his left ear and days were he woke up from his naps with bad pain, but the hearing came back and the pain stopped. I made sure he took his medicine the entire time until we were out, then I just made sure he didn't try to stick anything in there.

Taking care of a sick child seems like a lot, especially when you take care of four, but it was really easy for me. Sure the first few days were a bit scary, but once they passed, it was basically a rinse and repeat scenario. Make sure they take their medicine, feed them soup and maybe slip them a cookie or two to cheer them up, and check their temperature now and then. It's really nothing to worry about.

The only thing I'm worried about is the fact that whatever sickness hit the house has to pass through. Meaning that someone else is bound to get sick, and that could be anyone. I'm worried I might be next since I was around the kids the whole time they were sick, and if I get sick...well, it won't be bad, but I'll have 7 concerned boyfriends coddling me the whole time. And I  _really_ hope none of the 7 said boyfriends get sick either, because while I love them, they can be a bit on the stubborn side when they're sick.

Oh well. I guess I can only wait and see. 


	2. Teens are Easier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teenagers might fight a little, but when they get sick, it's almost as easy as taking care of a child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIIIIIIVE!

It's been a whole two weeks and none of the kids have shown signs of getting sick again. I was a little concerned that since the kids spend so much time around one another that they would pass their colds to one another, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Crish's ear infection is gone and he can hear again (and is much happier), River didn't develop anything worse after her fever since we caught it so early, no one caught Daisy's stomach bug, Hazel's fainting spell didn't reappear, and Chris's little episode is over with. I've been watching all the other kids and nothing seems to be making a reappearance in them.

Well, not the kids per say.

Lucien hasn't been himself lately. I don't know if it's just because of something that happened at school or if he's coming down with something, but I've noticed that he hasn't been putting on his makeup like he usually does, hasn't been raiding the cabinets for sweets at night, and he's been sleeping a lot more than usual. I know that he takes naps after school but they've been lasting too long and happen too frequently. It's concerning to say the least. I can't be sure if he's getting sick or not but with what's been in the house lately, I wouldn't be so sure to dismiss it. These things can make appearances in different ways and Lucien's odd behavior is a red flag.

He's asleep right now, spread out on the big couch with the TV nearly muted for him. He came home and just collapsed, claiming he just had a tough day. He hadn't wanted to explain further, so I let him lay down without giving him the third degree about it but I'm worried now. He usually does his homework first, then takes a half hour nap before he gets up for dinner or whatever he ends up doing. Now that he's coming home exhausted, it worries me that something is going on and he's keeping silent about it. I swear he's sick but he doesn't let me or anyone close enough to check on him.

"Papa." Crish tugs my pant leg. "Cookie?" He points to the jar that I've been holding for the past five minutes. I had been in the middle of giving him a cookie when I noticed Lucien tossing and turning on the couch and started trying to figure out what was wrong. I'm really worried about him.

"Sorry Crish. Here you go."

He lets me set him in his high chair while he munches on his cookie and give him some milk. He was probably trying to get my attention while I zoned out, and I did promise him one for being good earlier.

I just can't concentrate when I know something is wrong with one of my kids. I got really protective of all of them when we became a big family, and after the last few kids got sick, there's no way I'm just letting this slide. When he wakes up, I'm going to see if he did catch something from one of the others.

* * *

"Any special reason we're getting a ride to school? Not that I'm complaining but..." Ernest shrugs. "Do we need to have a talk or something?"

"No Ernest. I'm just trying to be fair. I take the younger kids to school all the time and I rarely ever give you two rides. I should start taking you guys to school every once in a while." Not exactly the whole truth. I do want to start giving the boys more rides to school, but I also want to keep an eye on Lucien while I can. He hasn't said anything the past few days, but he's been getting worse. Damien and I tried to get him to talk to us about something that might've happened at school but he told us it was fine. Then we saw his condition get worse and tried to get him to stay home, but he insisted he was fine to go to school. This particular morning however, I'm not sure if I should let him go to school. He didn't go through his morning routine and he didn't eat breakfast again. I even made his favorite and he just poked at it, then gave it to Ernest.

"We're not little kids y'know."

"I know. But I also know that taking the bus can be annoying sometimes." I remember having to take the bus and it was the worse. Sometimes people would have to sit three to a seat, the driver would drive kinda crazy and nearly throw you out the seat, and it just wasn't ideal. Sometimes it was nice to get a ride to school. "I just hope you don't mind being seen with the babies." I usually take River and Crish out for a morning drive after I drop everyone off at school, just to wake them up and get some morning air in them.

"It's cool as long as no one pukes on me."

That's not an issue. River only pukes on people she doesn't like and when she's sick, and Crish usually tells me when he doesn't feel well.

We pull up to the school and Ernest immediately hops out, giving me a peace sign as he walks over to a group of friends. Lucien doesn't move at first, still slouched against the door. Did he fall asleep on the ride?

"Lucien?"

He slowly turns to look at me, eyes bleary. "Yes?"

"You sure you don't want to stay home today? You don't look too good." 

"I'm fine," he says softly. "I'll see you later."

"Alright. Have a good day at school. And you call me if you don't feel too good!" My Dad senses are tingling, telling me that there's a huge chance he won't be okay and might need me later.

He doesn't give me any acknowledgement beyond a little wave and stumbles into the school. I feel like I should've done more to keep him home because of the flu going around but he hasn't said he wasn't feeling good and I don't like pushing him into telling me things. That caused a rift between us before and I don't want that again. It could just be something that'll pass.

I hope.

* * *

 From Lucien:

|can you come get me from school?

I frown at the message, but I made sure that Crish and River stayed dressed in case we had to go get him. It's only been half an hour, but I wanted to be able to go ahead and get him in case something happened. I knew my Dad sense were right!

|not feeling too well?

|i feel like crap and i tried to ask my teacher if i can call you or dad or someone but she didn't listen and my head feels like its gonna explode. can you come get me? please?

|of course. I'll be there in 10

I'm almost out the door when my phone pings again.

| i threw up on my chem teacher. its really bad

* * *

Getting to the school took no time at all considering I was basically at the door waiting for him to say something. I do a mental catalog of all the medicine we do have and anything I might not have that I'll ask someone to pick up for me. Right now, my son is top priority. 

There's a very pissed-off looking teacher in the nurse's office beside Lucien. Whatever horrid pink monstrosity she has on is thoroughly ruined by a blotchy stain courtesy of Lucien. And speaking of which, he does  _not_ look good.

"Are you here for Lucien?"

She doesn't look nor sound happy. But she didn't listen to Lucien in the first place so I don't have that much sympathy for her. She would've been much less gross if she had just listened in the first place. Actually, the puke stain is a major improvement to the pink terror she's wearing. She should be thanking Lucien for helping her.

Lucien looks up at me and smiles a tiny bit. "Don't go into the chem lab. It's a mess."

"I can imagine." He looks impossibly pale and way smaller than he is in his oversized jacket. "C'mon. Let's get you home and under some covers. You look like you need it. Can you walk?"

He hesitates, but nods. "I-I'll be fine."

"Alright. Let's go."

Lucien stands, accepting my arm around his shoulder to help him. His chem teacher gives us a wide berth to walk when we go by, probably to avoid anymore stains to her ugly sweater. Check-out is quick and easy as most of the faculty notice how Lucien looks and agree that he shouldn't be in school right now. After that, it's a quick stop to the pharmacy before we head home.

* * *

"Alright, lay down right here. I'll get you some blankets and medicine. You hungry or is food off the table right now?"

"No food please." Lucien collapses on the couch and pulls the covers up around him. He leaves the hoodie on, and while I was initially worried about him getting overheated, I saw how he was shivering in the car and knew he'd be alright. I don't exactly know what's wrong with him, but I'm pretty sure I can figure it out in a little. And if I can't figure it out, I'll treat him as best I can.

"What about something to drink? We don't need you getting dehydrated right now." I think Craig just about bought all the orange juice in town last week to make sure we had enough in case someone else got sick. We've got plenty of juice if he needs it.

"Just...water. Please?"

"Sure. Hang tight." I take Crish and River with me to the kitchen to get them breakfast and get Lucien his water. He takes it appreciatively, taking tiny sips so as not to puke anything else up. I set it on the floor near him and give him normal flu medicine, just in case. I'd rather him be awake so that I can take care of him, but I'm not gonna force him to stay up; not when he looks like he needs his rest. "Go ahead and get some rest. I'll wake you in a little while so I can check your temperature."

He's asleep before I even finish talking.

Now that he's alright for now, I should go check on the toddlers. We have them on a similar schedule when it comes to eating and naps and it's about time for them to have breakfast.

"So Crish, what do you want for breakfast? Pancakes, oatmeal or cereal?" I got into the habit of letting Crish make decisions for himself, whether it be in regards to his clothes or food. It's all to help expand his vocabulary and get him used to speaking for himself. He didn't like talking all that much when he was younger so we want him to try and say a little bit more every day. He takes a while to answer us sometimes but we know he's trying his best.

Crish thinks very hard, then points at a box on top of the fridge. "Cewel."

"Cereal it is." 

Crish gets a bowl of dry cereal while I put a couple on the tray on River's high chair. I don’t need her choking on anything and giving her a bowl is pointless when most of them are going to end up on the floor. "Come here River. It's time to eat." 

River ignores me and stares curiously at Lucien, trying to get up on her knees to pull at his blanket. I scoop her up before she can disturb him. "Lucien can't play right now River. He's sick."

“Dyah?”

 "Yeah. Sick. He needs to sleep and we need to be quiet, okay?" I put my finger to my lips for her to see. River mimics me as best she can, sticking her finger into her mouth and chewing on it. "Let's go eat."

* * *

”Hello?”

_”Hello Danny. I’m sorry I’m just returning your call but I couldn’t get to my phone until now. Is everything alright with Lucien?”_

”He’s gonna be alright. He might’ve caught one of the kid’s colds and didn’t say anything. I had to take him out of school after an incident.”

_”Incident?”_

Damien sounds worried. Usually, Lucien's "incidents" tend to be on the 'copied something from iconic horror novels' side and they happened a little too often for us. Of course Damien would be worried about that. But it isn't school trouble this time. ”He asked his teacher if he could step out to call one of us and she said no, and he wound up throwing up on her. Unintentionally of course, but he warned her he wasn’t feeling good.”

_”Oh dear. How is he now?”_

”He’s asleep; I’m gonna let him sleep off what he can before trying to get some food in him, maybe give him juice to get his sugar back up.”

_”And how are you and the toddlers?”_

”We’re all fine. I’m keeping an eye on Lucien and the toddlers are eating. We’re okay.”

_”Do try to take care of yourself and them. We’d all hate it if you fell ill.”_

”I know and I will. I promise.” I check the kitchen and see that the babies are almost finished with their breakfast. “I’m gonna have to let you go. And don’t worry about Lucien; I’ll take care of him.” Damien is like me; it’s only been us and our kids for so long that the slightest bit of bad news when it comes to them makes us worry. I don’t need him panicking at work and trying to rush home.

_”I know my love, I just can’t stand it when Lucien doesn’t feel well. But I know he’s in good hands. Take care, I’ll see you tonight.”_

”Okay. Love you.”

_”I love you too.”_

”Papa!” Crish calls from the kitchen. “F’shed!”

“I’m coming Crish, hang on.” 

Sure enough, he’s cleaned the entire bowl, an achievement if I say so myself. He has a problem finishing all his food and usually drops it on the floor, knowing that if they're in the house, one of the dogs will eat it. I'm proud of him. "Good job Crish. Want some juice?"

"Mm-hmm."

Crish and River get juice and I put them in their playpen in the living room, but far enough away from Lucien that they can't get out and disturb him. Lucien's breathing is too heavy for me, but because of how tired he's been looking all week I'll let it slide. When he wakes up, I'll see how he feels. 

* * *

Lucien's been asleep for about two hours now, but he's finally starting to stir. He blinks a few times to get his bearings and sits up.

"Hey Lucien. How do you feel?"

"Mmh. Okay I guess. My head is still pounding."

But the bags under his eyes are gone at least and he doesn't look at tired. So that's one plus. I still need to do something about his lack of color and the shivering. "What about food? Still don't feel like eating?"

"No. Just thirsty."

"You wanna try juice this time or more water?"

"Can I actually have some tea?"

"Of course." The toddlers are preoccupied with some paper I set out for them to color on so I don't have to worry about them for a few moments while I make him tea. And also have something ready for him in case he does find himself hungry. Everyone is about tired of soup since I made so much, but I do still have oatmeal left from this morning which he should be good to eat.

"Here. I made some ginger tea. Just in case." We also have a stockpile of ginger, courtesy of Mat, for situations like this. I've used most of it for tea and making cookies but even with all of that we still have a lot of ginger. I'm not complaining since it'll be very useful while this flu is going around and all the ginger tea I've been making. "And you can have control of the remote. We can watch anything you want."

Lucien smiles a little. "Even if I turn on Frozen?"

"Normally I'd protest, but I'll grin and bear it since you're sick."

* * *

"Ernest Hemingway Vega, you are staying home and that's final. I don't want to hear another word."

Ernest tries to cover another cough with a groan but fails. "The one time I'm trying  _not_ to skip school, you force me to stay home."

"According to your attendance record, you haven't skipped school in three months. And I don't want to force you, but I can't let you go to school like this."

Lucien has been home for four days sick, getting better a little bit at a time. We watch movies all day and he drinks tea and eats a little bit when he feels up to it. I give him medicine before he eats and it seems to be working. He also tends to sleep for three and four hours at a time, but since he's been so tired lately, I don't disturb him when he does. He's been doing his best to keep from getting anyone else sick, but it seems like Ernest has caught something. I don't know what it is, but he had a cough about a week ago that he brushed off as something from school and now it's gotten worse. I can hear how wet his cough sounds and something I think he's choking. I also caught him sniffling a few times and I want to catch him now before it gets worse.

"It's just a cough."

"A cough that sounds really bad and could be something worse. We're still in flu season so we're not taking chances." As simple as it sounds right now, that cough could be hiding just about anything.

Ernest tries to look to one of his other dads for help, but they all conveniently turn away or find something else to do. They know better than to argue with me when it comes to this flu business. I'd rather the kids miss school than try to go, feel terrible and need to come home anyways. We're avoiding a problem before it becomes one.

"You're staying home Ernest. I can't have you going to school when you're like this. You're gonna stay home and that's final."

Ernest shrugs. "Fine, if you're gonna beg me to stay home, I'll stay." 

He can pretend all he wants, but I know Ernest is secretly glad I'm forcing bed rest on him. If I didn't, he would've forced himself to go to school and I can't risk having another son have an incident or throwing up on someone. "Good, glad this didn't become an argument. Go lay down and I'll find some medicine for you."

Ernest grumbles but I've been around him enough to know that there's not heat behind it. He probably doesn't feel 100% and was forcing himself to school. Not on my watch. Anyone who might be sick is staying home until they feel better.

* * *

You would think that having to babysit two sick teenagers and two toddlers would be hard, but it's actually a little easier to deal with all of them. They're not taking advantage of me and trying to get me to do their homework or chores while they're sick and they're actually listening to me when I tell them to sleep and eat and take medicine. They're not bored since we have enough games and movies to fill a day and there's not much to complain about since all they're doing is resting. The toddlers are easy to handle since they're on set schedules and I can manage them. I've had enough practice handling more than one child at a time to where it's second nature for me; I've become a multi-tasking pro. 

At the moment, everyone is watching TV while I clean up a bit. Ernest and Lucien have had their medicine for the hour and the younger ones have had their diapers changed, so we're all good for a while. 

"Papa look!" Crish points to where my computer is resting on the counter, the screen flashing with an incoming call. That must be Amanda. It's been a while since we last spoke since she's been so busy lately.

"Hey Amanda. How are you sweetie?"

 _"Terrible."_ Amanda blows her nose and sighs. _"There's a bug going around campus and my roommate and I caught it. I'm dying Pops. Please send help. Else your precious daughter will perish where she stands."_

"You too huh? Don't worry Amanda, I should be able to help. I'll email you some soup recipes and little tips on how to get better. Just make sure to keep hydrated, starve a cold and feed a fever."

 _"Starve a cold? Pops, I'm in college. I'm always starving. If this is a cold, it should be gone by now."_ She turns her head to sneeze into a tissue. Whatever color it was, it made her cringe.  _"Ew. Everyone's been hit with it. Me and my roommate are over here miserable. We were gonna go hang out at the rec center but we can't even make it downstairs. Even the other girls with us are struggling to leave their rooms."_

"Just follow everything I send you and you should be fine. The recipes I'm gonna send you should feed at least eight people so you guys can all share it. And trust me, there will be enough for everyone, even with how much college kids eat." I figured that four college kids probably don't eat as much as they want to, so I upped all the portion sizes every time I send her a package. It seems to work fine since she's texted me once or twice about how much of a saint I am.

_"I ever tell you how great of a father you are? Because you seriously are. My roommates think so too. We shared those cookies you sent us and they're willing to pay you actual money if you send those kinds of care packages every two weeks instead of every month. Just throwing it out there."_

"I couldn't take their money like that Amanda. It wouldn't be right." That's the reason I send those packages in the first place; so that they don't have to spend their money on campus food and can use it for having fun or getting little odds and ends they might need. "Besides, I know you guys appreciate it, and that's all I need."

River screeches from the playpen, waving her bottle around to try and get my attention. Amanda hears the sound and tries to look over my shoulder. _"Is everyone there? Don't they have school?"_

"Not everyone. Lucien and Ernest are sick and you know I have the babies during the day. River sees us on the phone and wants to say hi."

_"Aw, then bring everyone over! Been a while since I've seen them anyways."_

"Of course. Let me grab the little ones."

River absolutely adores Amanda and Crish seems to talk a lot more when he's talking to Amanda so they're both ecstatic to see her over the phone. River babbles some kind of story to Amanda, who nods and hums and asks questions like she knows what River is saying and Crish tells her about all the things he colored and how brave he was at the doctor's office last time we went. Amanda compliments him on how brave he was and lets him know that its okay to be scare of doctors because she is too. 

Ernest gets up and sits at the table with us, giving Amanda a small wave. "Sup Amanda."

 _"Ernesto! Buddy!"_ She gets a little closer to the camera. _"You look like shit dude."_

"Thanks. And you look like you go hit by a bus."

_"That's exactly how I feel. College sick is way different from normal sick. It sucks like, fifty times worse."_

Lucien also comes over and sits at my right. "Hey Amanda."

_"Luci! Wow, you don't look good either. What happened over there?"_

"We're sick," Lucien answers. "Flu season and all."

_"It's flu season already? I thought it was still a month or two off."_

"I thought so too, but it came earlier than I expected. The house is stocked with just about everything we could possibly need and everyone is being careful. You should be too." Amanda rarely gets sick, so I was a little worried about her right now. The best I can do is try to give her guidance from here. "Do you need me to send you anything other than the email? Money for medicine or anything?"

_"Nah, our housemate's dad is a nurse so he told us what medicine to get and sent us money for it. And we got enough tissues and disinfectant here to last."_

"Okay. I'll send it once we hang up. How's school been besides the bug?"

_"Really good actually. The photography club I'm part of has a bunch of new members so we're planning new stuff to keep interest. I've been keeping my grades up, even my math grade surprisingly, and there's a little bit of stress here and there but I manage. What about you two? How's school?"_

Ernest shrugs. "The same as last year. Every freakin' teacher I have this year asked me if  I know that I'm named after a famous author. Like, it's my fucking name; I think I know by now." 

"Language Ernest." That's still something we have to work on. He's getting better now that he has a bunch of little siblings around him but he does slip every now and then.

"The drama club has me doing all the makeup for this year's play. I didn't sign up for it but a drama boy caught me fixing my makeup and kinda forced me into it. But it's cool since its a collection of short horror stories this year." Lucien smiles at that. "I have a few ideas for it."

_"You know you have to send me pics, right?"_

"Of course."

Amanda sneezes, groaning into a tissue. _"Ugh, sorry. And what about you Dad? How's everything with you?"_

"Pretty busy with getting River to walk on her own more and helping Crish talk a little more. River's a bit too used to getting carried everywhere so we have to refrain from picking her up all the time. And we ask Crish simple questions and let him make choices for himself so he'll talk more. It seems to be working." River crawls exceptionally fast and she can stand on her own, but walking is still a work in progress. And Crish talks more when he's on the phone with someone or video-chatting, it's just in public that he has the issue. But we're working through and managing. "You would also be proud to know that Carmensita made me a social media page and I have 258 followers who for some reason just like looking at pictures of desserts. She manages it for me and I just do what I love."

_"Seriously?! I've been trying to get you to do that for months! How'd she manage that?"_

"Lot of begging and puppy eyes. I will admit that it's kinda fun." I was overwhelmed at first but I actually kind of like it now.

_"I'm proud of you. Having a social media page? Dad, you're finally stepping into the 21st century."_

"Yes, your old man finally understands this new world everyone is living in." It's partially a lie. There is still so much I don't understand about the social media world. That's why Carmensita manages it for me, because I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm learning though.

Crish yawns and I realize it's way past nap time. He and River need to be be asleep or else they'll start to get cranky. "Okay, it's about time for me to put these two down for a nap. 

_"That's fine. I got some homework to do anyways, I just figured I'd give everyone a call. I'll try to call again this weekend. Sound good?"_

"Yeah. We should all be home."

"Cool. Bye you guys. Love you."

"Love you too Amanda."

"Bye Amanda."

Crish and River are already starting to doze and even the teens look a little drowsy. I feel a bit tired myself. "I think we all deserve a little nap time."

"Totally," Ernest agrees.

I lay River and Crish down for their nap and grab some extra blankets from the hall closet. Lucien takes up the recliner while Ernest and I get on opposite sides of the couch to relax. I set an alarm on my phone for half an hour and lay back. Today hasn't even been that exhausting but I feel so tired for some reason...

* * *

 

I think it's official.

I caught someone's cold.

It was probably because I refused to wear a mask in the house and I was in such close proximity to so many sick kids, but I feel it.

And as loathe as I am to say it, I'll have to hide this from my boyfriends. I love them and all, but if they find out I'm sick, they're going to coddle me like no tomorrow. And I'm not exaggerating. I once burned my finger cooking and no matter how much I protested that I was fine and did it all the time, they checked me over at least four times for other injuries and forbade me from cooking for the rest of the week. I couldn't even make tea for myself without someone with me. They won't focus at work if they know I'm sick or they'll take off for as long as needed until I'm better. I appreciate their concern, but they can be a little...overprotective.

As much as I preached being careful for flu season and I turn around and catch something. I'll be fine though. I took care of five sick kids; I can handle myself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if any of you have ever gotten so sick you were delirious, but it's not fun. Also not sure why, but ginger tea and raspberry tea are like my cure-alls when I'm sick. 
> 
> Next chapter: self-care when you're sick

**Author's Note:**

> I actually used to babysit a kid who got really affectionate when he was sick. Lots of hugging and wanting to be near me whenever he wasn't feeling well and I'd carrying him around on my back or otherwise he'd be right on my heels. It was easier to do the chores that way. This kid also didn't really like hugs or anything like that normally, which is why I made Chris the same way.
> 
> This chapter was a little short, the next three will be longer.
> 
> Next chapter will be sick teens (Lucien, Ernest, Amanda)  
> I'm filling this tag if it's the last thing I do! Hit me up with suggestions for more poly!dads stuff over on my Tumblr or just come and talk to me. Regardless, there will be more works in Dadsona/Everyone.


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